The Shattered Weapon
by Blitz02
Summary: Trained to be Konoha's ultimate weapon, Naruto loses all sense of his emotions, turning into a terminator who would kill anyone, do anything as long as it was to protect the village. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen realizes that this state of Naruto could lead to disaster and hence, he assigns Naruto to a squad in hopes that Naruto will gain back what he had lost. Dark/Strong Naruto!
1. Prologue

**_The Shattered Weapon_**

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**This is my first Naruto-centered story. I did write a couple of Naruto fics before but this is the first one with Naruto as the main character.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The forest was silent and the air brewing around the forest was chilly, but not only that it was also bitter.

Eight humans wearing battle-vests but more importantly, wearing headbands with a symbol of rocks on them glanced at each other from the different spot where they were hiding. They all nodded at once, deciding to carry on with the mission that they'd come here to complete. However, before they could move, they heard some rustling sound coming from somewhere close by.

All the shinobis from Iwagakure upped their guards upon hearing the sound once again; this time the noise evidently coming from the way in which they were headed.

"Aaaaaaa!" One of the Iwagakure ninjas screamed as he suffered absolutely stinging pain from his gut. With the remaining strength he had, he slowly moved his hand through his guy and looked down at it but what he saw made him yell once again; he had been stabbed through the stomach and he didn't even know who or what did it.

The screams of their comrade got the attention of the other seven shinobi from Iwagakure. From the sounds of it, they discerned that their friend had been taken out even without him knowing it. Sweat dripped down their faces at the moment they saw his body fall on the ground.

They all couldn't believe it; one of their own had been taken out just like that. He was a Jonin recognized by their village and even a ninja of his class probably died without doing anything. How could that be possible? They hadn't even entered the village of Konoha, the one which they came to infiltrate and they'd already lost one member. How in the world did Konohagakure find out about their infiltration; they weren't even anywhere close to the village.

As all these thoughts crossed their minds, another scream left one of the ninjas. And just like the first one, he too fell on the ground after a few seconds; only six remained.

Even between all this chaos spreading between the men from Iwagakure, one boy remained calm, emotionless and cold. From the top of one of the nearby trees, a young boy with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes observed the six remaining members of the group from Iwagakure. He wore a red undershirt which was mostly covered by his red jacket, zipped more than half-way and dark blue trousers. Placed on his right arm was a mask covered with red spiky stripes coming out of all the corners while the rest of the mask remained white.

Naruto Uzumaki took a deep and long breath and soon, he killed all of the Iwagakure, one after the other until only one remained.

* * *

"Please…. Please don't kill me!" A man with blue hair wearing a headband with symbols of mountains on it - probably in his twenties cried for his life, slowly crawling back on the ground.

The man came to a halt as his back hit one of the trees in the forest. Around him, there were many bodies covered in blood and all of them wore the same Hidden Stone headband as him. The only two humans alive in the vicinity were him and the shinobi that he and his team had the bad fortune of confronting; one with blonde hair, blue eyes and a Konohagakure headband resting on his forehead.

Naruto Uzumaki ignored all the pleas from the ninja from Iwagakure and just took strides towards him. His eyes were hollow, his face showed no signs of any emotions whatsoever, and in his hand was only one short sword, enveloped in red hot blood that he'd used to assassinate seven other Jounins and Chunins from Iwagakure.

Wasting no more time, Naruto dashed at the Iawgakure shinobi, whose eyes only showed shock for a second before the blond Uzumaki slashed his throat with his sword. The sharp edge of the sword sliced through the Iwagakure ninja's skin like butter and in an instant, he was out cold. His blood covered Naruto's face, who didn't even bother to wipe it off. And just like that, he'd completed the mission given to him; to wipe out the spies from Iwagakure.

* * *

_**8 years earlier...**_

The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi massaged his forehead and glanced at the three other people present in the room. The council room of Konohagakure was silent, everyone awaiting the response of the Hokage. Hiruzen had no other option now besides agreeing with the other three on the matter that they had just discussed.

"So what will it be, Hiruzen?" A man with an eye covered in bandages, sitting opposite Hiruzen asked the Hokage.

Another few moments passed before Sandaime Hokage gave his response to Danzo. "I will agree on training the boy as you said but his Sensei would be of my choice." Hiruzen stated firmly. He was making enough compromises as it is, and he wouldn't let the child's childhood be wasted like that. After all, he'd promised the boy's parents that he would take care of him in their absence.

The other two members of the Konoha council, Homura Mitokado and Koharu utatane, also gave Hiruzen Sarutobi's condition a deep thought before glancing at each other and nodding.

"Fine," Koharu agreed on the Hokage's terms. "You can choose the one to train Naruto Uzumaki."

Hiruzen nodded, lasing his fingers and resting his chin on them. The Sandaime Hokage had to make sure that Naruto Uzumaki, the host of the nine-tailed fox be trained by someone whom he trusted completely and the only thing that ran through his mind right now was whom to pick. The decision wasn't one to be made hastily; he had to choose the shinobi who would do the job in the best way possible.

The topic of discussion between the Konoha council members was the future of Naruto Uzumaki, the nine-tailed Jinchuriki. His parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had sacrificed their lives to protect the village of Konoha, but more importantly their son, Naruto Uzumaki. Danzo Shimura, Homura and Koharu suggested that Naruto should be trained away from other children, to make him Konohagakure's secret weapon to unleash whenever the village was in danger. Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi was against the idea as he wanted the boy to have a normal childhood like all the other children of the village would.

But he too, understood that it wouldn't be possible for the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails to have a normal childhood; he knew very well that people despised him for having the nine-tailed fox inside of him and considered him to be a beast, instead of a hero for saving the village by limiting the fox spirit's power inside his small body. At last, he had to accept that the best way to keep Naruto from getting the villager's harsh treatment would be to keep him busy with training, which would eventually benefit the boy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi still appeared to be in thought, even after the council meeting had ended about an hour ago and the other members had left. Who could he pick to oversee Naruto? He understood very well that he had to pick the person carefully; after all, Naruto's and possibly the village's future depended on the way the host of the nine-tailed fox would be trained.

Add to that, the promise Hiruzen made to Kushina and Minato in their last moments; he promised them that he would take care of Naruto and look after him, at least until the boy was old enough to take care of himself. The third Hokage wasn't about to break the vow made to the Yondaime Hokage, not until his last breath.

'Kushina, Minato.' Hiruzen sighed as he finally made up his mind about Naruto's trainer. 'Your son will be in good hands.'

* * *

In the clear grounds on the outskirts of Konohagakure, a child with blonde hair and blue eyes gazed at the two people in front of him; one of them being the Sandaime Hokage while the other was a young boy with black eyes and long, jet black hair tied in a small ponytail behind his back. The five year old Naruto Uzumaki knew the Hokage but he wondered who the boy with the deadliest glare he'd seen, wearing the Konohagakure headband on his head was.

"Naruto," Hiruzen began, speaking in a soft tone so as not to scare the young son of the Yondaime Hokage. "You want to be a ninja when you grow up, don't you?" he questioned, bending down to Naruto's level and patting him on the head.

The mentioned boy looked at Sarutobi with eyes filled with innocence, and slowly nodded his head. "Yes, I do, Hokage-sama." His voice was only more than a whisper as he got those words out of his mouth.

The young Naruto Uzumaki's dream had always been to become an exceptional ninja of Konohagakure, to be like the heroes of the village, to be like the Hokage. He admired each Hokage and had the greatest respect for them but the one he truly considered his idol was the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Who wouldn't want to be like the Yondaime Hokage after hearing stories of his bravery?; the most famous of them being the way he saved Konohagakure when the nine-tailed fox suddenly appeared and threatened to destroy the village.

A smile crept on Hiruzen's face at the earnest reply he got from Naruto. He knew how the young Uzumaki admired all the Hokage, especially the Yondaime. After all, he was the one who told him stories about the Fourth whenever he had the time. "To become a ninja, you have to train hard and have the determination to never give up. But you can't become a strong ninja with only physical strength, you have to train your mind too. To be able to predict your enemy's moves and countering it before they can do anything is what makes a great shinobi." He paused for a few seconds before speaking once again. "Will you train your hardest and become a shinobi who would protect Konohagakure at all costs?" the old man asked.

Naruto intently listened to each and every word Hiruzen said and tried his best to understand as much as he could. At the Hokage's last statement, Naruto nodded, determination clearly visible on his features. "I will, Hokage-sama. I will become strong to protect the village, just like you do."

"Very well. This man here," Hiruzen stood back up and extended his hand towards the teenage boy standing beside him. "is Itachi Uchiha. He will be your Sensei from now on."

The blond Uzumaki gazed at Itachi Uchiha, trying his best to understand the guy who would be his first teacher. But, Naruto couldn't deduce anything from the emotionless expression that Itachi wore on his face; the only noticeable action being his deadly glare which seemed to be emitting the overwhelmingly powerful aura of Itachi's.

After a few moments of silence, Naruto got out of his daze and bowed to the Uchiha. "It's nice to meet you, Itachi-sama. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Observing the boy's formal behavior, Hiruzen chuckled but soon, it turned into a grimace as he again remembered that he might be the one taking away Naruto's childhood from him. He had full faith that the young, twelve year old Itachi would turn Naruto into a great ninja but even he wasn't sure what kind of harsh training Naruto would have to endure in the future. He clenched his fists, still regretting the day of the nine tail attack; only if he would've saved the day and sacrificed himself instead of Minato, not just Naruto, but the entire village of Konoha might have had a much brighter future.

* * *

With cuts and bruises spread throughout his face, Naruto panted heavily as he fell to his knees and rested his palms on the ground. His clothes had been torn in several spots, blood dripping down from the cuts on his arms and legs as well.

Almost two years had gone by since Naruto started his training under Itachi Uchiha, by the orders of the Sandaime Hokage. In these two years, Naruto sure had grown, in both body and skill. Training with one of the best ninjas in the village was sure to make him strong, but it also meant that Naruto had to train his heart out every day, until he had no energy left to move.

And boy, Itachi was strict when it came to training, doing his job to train the boy everyday. But in these past two years that Naruto spent with Itachi, he'd come to admire him; and also the dedication he had for the village and his training. He considered it an honor to be taught by a shinobi like the Uchiha child prodigy. And one thing that Itachi possessed which made Naruto gasp in awe every time the Uchiha used it was his Kekkai Genkai : The Sharingan.

"Get up, Naruto!" Itachi called out to the seven year old boy, who would be turning eight soon. "If you're this weak, you can forget about protecting the village." The Uchiha prodigy threw a kunai towards Naruto that went past him like a bullet and struck the bull's eye at the tree. In the process of it going past Naruto, the kunai had left a cut on his cheek, which started to bleed.

But instead of being worried about the injuries that he'd faced, Naruto just got even more impressed. "That was amazing, Itachi nii-san. You've got to teach me to have such great precision with your kunai!" he exclaimed excitedly, getting up on his feet, albeit still tired as made clear by his heavy breaths.

"I am your Sensei while training, not your brother." Itachi said with a grave look on his face.

And just in the next instant, he vanished from sight and before Naruto could even blink, Itachi punched him in the gut, seemingly appearing from nowhere. The nine-tailed Jinchuriki spat out blood, his eyes widening as he held his stomach with both his hands at the incredible pain he felt by Itachi's blow. This wasn't new for Naruto; not new at all. Itachi never held back and this time was no exception.

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**I wanted to write a Naruto centered fanfiction for quite a while now and I finally managed to get one done. At first, I was going to write a fanfiction in which Naruto leaves the village to train alone after he find out that everyone hates him but a few suggestions from some people made me write this fic.**

**Naruto's years in training will be revealed in the next few chapters so if you're wondering what happened between the time Naruto was training to the time of the assassination, fret not cause it will be revealed soon.**

**Also, there might be romance in the story. I haven't completely decided if I want to add the romance aspect to the story or not.**

**Anyways, how was the chapter? This was just a prologue so the future chapters will be quite longer than this one.**

**Make sure to leave a review about the story and give me some critique, suggestion, ideas for the next chapters. Thanks for reading!**


	2. The Gathering of Four

_**The Gathering of Four**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, gaze fixed at the blonde young man that stood before him. The thirteen year old young boy had a round mask which consisted of red-colored spikes coming from all corners while the rest of it remained white in his hand. He wore a red jacket that was zipped most of the way over a blue shirt, grey pants, black sandals and blue forehead protector with Konoha's symbol on it.

"Did you kill all of them?" He asked the boy with blue eyes, spiky blond hair and jaw-length bangs on either sides of his faces.

Naruto waited for a few moments before he nodded, his face holding only emptiness. "Yes." Was the only word that he spoke, even his tone held nothing inside; it was hollow, dark and emotionless.

A grimace crossed Hiruzen's face at the expected answer that he received. Those ninjas from Iwagakure could definitely have got some information on the village if they got inside but killing them was not the solution. But the fact that hurt him more was the one who killed them. It was Naruto – the son of the Yondaime Hokage – and the boy he'd vowed to protect with his life.

"Who told you to do so?" he inquired.

"Danzo." Naruto answered immediately.

The way he spoke made the hole in his heart evident. The dent in Naruto's heart, Hiruzen held himself responsible for that. He could have stopped this from happening. He could've kept his promise to Minato and Kushina. He could've protected Naruto from turning into the heartless killer he now was. All with one brave decision regarding the Uchiha massacre. If he would have accepted the duties of the Hokage and taken upon himself to decide everything that was good for the village, he would never have had to see this day.

This wasn't something Hurzuen remained ignorant of. He admitted to himself that it was all his fault. If he protected the village and sacrificed himself instead of letting Minato do it, Konoha might have been in much better hands. He cursed himself for his failure as a Hokage. He cursed himself because he couldn't even compare himself to the ones who came before him and the one after. His mistakes were simply unforgivable to him.

However, he'd made up his mind to do what he could to rectify them. He would try and do everything in his power to set things right, if possible.

"Listen Naruto," Hiruzen began, leaning forward on his table. "You'll no longer obey any orders Danzo gives you. No matter what he tells you, you will not obey him."

The expression on his face didn't change. His eyes still stared at the Hokage as he gave a stiff nod. "Understood."

"And," Hiruzen let a bright smile play on his features. "Why don't you take a break for a few days?"

Naruto still remained unmoved and responded. "I don't know what to do on a break." He said without the slightest of hesitation.

Nothing ran through his mind even as he eyed the Hokage. His mind was fixated on only one thing, obeying his superiors and protecting his village. For that he would go to any lengths, kill anyone. He wouldn't back away, not even against someone who might be stronger than him.

There was a long silence in the room as Hiruzen looked at Naruto in defeat. He now only had one option but it could be dangerous. On the other hand, it just might be what Naruto needed.

"Alright," he sighed. "You are an Anbu but you still haven't taken the Chunin exams. There will be one held in our village starting in two weeks time. I want you to participate in it. For you, completing the exam will be an S-ranked mission."

"Understood." Came the bland reply.

"You can only take the Chunin exams in teams of three," Hiruzen began his explanation, his eyes still searching for even the slightest of change in Naruto's posture but to no avail. "So go train outside the village for a week and come back next Sunday. From now on, you will be under my direct command. You will not take any orders from anyone else, not even Danzo. Do you understand?" He waited for Naruto to nod and continued. "And do not kill anyone during this time until it is absolutely necessary."

There was no change in the way Naruto stood. He simply gave another nod in agreement to the Hokage's orders, not moving any of his other limbs.

The Sandaime Hokage gazed at the still figure that was Naruto for a few more moments before he smiled. "Your duties as an Anbu are on hold until the end of the Chunin Exams. I am sure I don't need to tell you to take this seriously and come out a Chunin. And if you can, try to enjoy being a ninja."

There was another nod and yet no change in stance.

"Dismissed."

As soon as that word left Hiruzen's lip's, Naruto bowed before he disappeared and nothing but a gust of wind passed through the room where the Hokage sat.

_Naruto sat on the cool grass and the exhaustion he'd felt after all the rigorous training that he'd just finished seemed to have lessened. He sighed before he leaned his head on the grass as well, arms thrown wide as he took sharp breaths. Another day of training had gone by._

_Beside Naruto, a taller boy with jet black hair took his spot and looked up at the sky. "Naruto," Itachi began and got the blonde's attention._

_"Yeah? Itachi Ni-san?" Naruto turned his head to face his sensei._

_"How do you feel about the Anbu?" Itachi asked, not moving his gaze from the sky._

_At first, Naruto blinked at the question. He wasn't sure why Itachi would bring up the Anbu and ask how he felt about them, something that he had never talked before. It had been almost four years since Naruto had been training under Itachi and he never talked about the Anbu or his work in the Anbu ever before. So, Naruto wondered why he would suddenly bring up the subject._

_When Itachi shifted his gaze at him, Naruto realized that he had been lost in his thoughts and not replied yet. "Well," Naruto mumbled as he thought about it. "I think the Anbu Black Ops are amazing shinobi. Only the strong can become Anbu and the special thing about them is," He spread his hands and brought them down to show what he meant. "That they are given the mission to protect the entire village."_

_Itachi let a hint of a smile play on his face at Naruto's answer. "Would you become an Anbu if you are given a chance?"_

_This time, Naruto jumped up and stood, excitement evident on his face. He took a boxing stance and gave an answer. "I want to become an Anbu, of course!" he grinned. "I want to become like you and since you are an Anbu, I will have to be one." He put his hands on his hips and finished with a pout. "But my dream still is to become the Hokage." He looked at one of the trees as he again went in to a daze, thinking about how he could achieve his goal. "It will be easier to become the Hokage if I am already one of the Anbu, won't it?"_

_"Hokage-sama said that if you were ready, you should be given the chance to enter the Anbu Black Ops," Itachi explained to the boy, ignoring his remark about the Hokage. Naruto eyed him intently and nodded at each word he spoke. "If you join the Anbu, you will be coming with me on my missions."_

_Naruto's eyes glittered at the prospect of accompanying Itachi on his missions. He'd always wanted to do that and if he was hearing it right, he might have a chance to do so soon. "I am going to be in the Anbu Black Ops? And I'll be able to go with you to your missions?"_

_Itachi chuckled lightly and nodded once. "Yes," he confirmed. "But you'll have to complete your training with me first."_

_"I won't be able to go with you right away?!" He exclaimed, leaning forward, his eyes almost pleading to his stern sensei. He was clearly disappointed that he won't be able to join Itachi on his missions from that very moment. He'd always wanted to do so._

_"Well, your training is almost complete." Itachi said._

_"It is?" The blonde tilted his head, unaware about the details._

_"When it will be, my mission to train you will be complete as well."_

_"You mean?" Naruto's eyes widened as he faltered. "You mean you won't be teaching me anymore?" There was fear in his voice and his face quickly became pale. Fear that he won't be seeing Itachi much anymore. He thought that Itachi would keep on training him. He'd never even imagined that a day would come when he would have to be on his own. As much as he wanted to be the Hokage, he wanted Itachi to always stay with him._

_"I won't." Itachi answered blandly. "You will no longer be my student, you will be my subordinate."_

_The last statement had Naruto sigh in relief. He was scared to even think of a life without Itachi now. The love Itachi showed him, the Uchiha was like a brother he never had. He could never imagine what he would do without Itachi._

His eyes steadily opened as the sunlight peeked on his faced through the window. Naruto yawned and sat up instantly as he took a look out of the window. It was the day that the Hokage had told him to come back to meet him after his training outside the village.

He'd returned back to his house late the last night and that was the reason that he'd slept till well past dawn. He had the habit of waking up by dawn at the latest. His daily training never gave him the luxury to sleep way past morning. And he didn't complain about that. The only that even mattered to him was protecting the village. He was obsessed by his goal. His dream of becoming the Hokage had long ago been washed away.

Without wasting any time, Naruto rose up from his bed and entered the bathroom. After a quick shower, he had a look into his fridge. It was empty. He spent most of his days either training or on missions so he didn't really have the time to restock his food. But that didn't bother him. He simply closed the fridge before he took a hold of his clothes.

In no time at all, he'd finished everything as he now stood outside the Hokage's office. He was slightly hungry due to not having any breakfast but meeting the Hokage was his first priority. He could get something to eat later.

Naruto knocked on the door and waited for the Hokage to respond.

"Come in."

Naruto entered the door and knelt before the Sandaime Hokage.

Hiruzen chuckled. "Early as always. I assume you're ready to meet your team members?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Before that though," Hiruzen Sarutobi motioned for Naruto to stand up straight, which he did right away and explained. "I will tell you who the two of them are. One of them is the daughter of a renowned clan that lived just outside our village. It was a small clan but they were powerful. Although ten years ago, mysteriously, almost all of them were killed. Most of the remaining members of the clan went onto live in different places after that incident. We brought the heir of the clan to the village after that. The reason I am assigning her to your team is for you to look after her. Her body contains the power of their clan and I want you to protect her."

Naruto took in all the words that the Hokage spoke and nodded. "I will."

"And the other member," The Hokage paused, lacing his fingers and resting his chin on it. "It's Hisa Uchiha."

As soon as Naruto heard that name, even his eyes widened. But that was only for a moment. His face returned to its emotionless state right after. But that name had awoken his interest. However, he didn't let any thoughts linger in his mind, shaking them all off instantly and brought his attention back to the Hokage.

Hiruzen frowned although he wasn't surprised that the name Hisa Uchiha had evoked Naruto. He expected even Naruto to have a shock at that. He had chosen that girl carefully to be in Naruto's squad. He knew there would be tension between them and it was risky to have Naruto in the same team as an Uchiha but it could be beneficial as well. By bringing Naruto's past back, he wanted Naruto to get his emotions back as well. Just maybe, he thought. Even if that would benefit Naruto in the slightest, he was willing to take the chance.

"This team is only formed for the Chunin exams so you won't have any sensei." The Hokage continued. "Both Hisa and Hotaru are trained in the ways of the shinobi so they shouldn't hinder you in anyway. But as they are members of your team, I expect you to protect them as well as yourself during the run of the exam."

"Yes." Naruto replied back.

"The Chunin exams starts in two days so you'll be meeting your squad members tomorrow." The Hokage stated. "Come here at ten in the morning. That's when the others will be arriving." He leaned back into his seat and finished. "You can go."

And Naruto disappeared instantly.

The day had passed without much happening with Naruto. It wasn't a common thing for him to have nothing to do. He had to be in the village to meet his squad members the next day so he couldn't really go and have an intense training session outside. But in the time he had, he didn't stop thinking about the girl who would be in his squad for the Chunin Exam.

Hisa Uchiha. He knew who she was.

Once again, he would be involved with an Uchiha. He would be in the same squad as a person who has the same blood flowing through her veins as Itachi. Although, he didn't really care. This was his mission and he would complete it just like any other he faced.

Until sleep caught up to him, he had been thinking about what could happen in the future and what had happened in the past. However, that all was clear by the time morning came. He got himself ready and reached the Hokage's office an hour before he was called.

Eventually, his wait came to an end when it was time the Hokage had called him. He knocked on the Hokage's door lightly and waited for a response.

"Come in."

And he entered. He didn't show it but he was quite surprised to see that the two members of his squad were already here. There were two fair-skinned girls in his sight. One of them had wavy blonde hair that went past her shoulders, dark green eyes wearing a light-violet and white top, black shorts and a black skirt. As Naruto observed her in an instant, she wasn't anything different than a normal kunoichi in appearance.

However, the one that really caught his attention was the girl that had dark black hair that ended above her waist and just as dark black eyes. She wore a dark blue top, black shorts and blue sandals but what really made her stand out was the Uchiha clan symbol engraved on her arm. She had definitely grown from when Naruto last saw her but she really hadn't changed much of what he could discern. The stare that she gave her was a definite giveaway that she hadn't changed.

After his initial observations of the girls which took no more than a few short seconds, Naruto walked forward and stood in front of the Hokage.

"Good morning, Naruto." The Hokage greeted to which Naruto didn't answer, except for a nod. "These two," he pointed both his hands to the two girls that stood beside Naruto and continued. "will be your squad members. This here," he motioned towards the blonde who stood there. "is Hotaru Tsuchigumo, the heir of the Tsuchigumo clan."

The girl now identified as Hotaru Tsuchigumo bowed her head and greeted. "It's nice to meet you Naruto-kun."

After only a second, Naruto responded with a bow. "I am Naruto Uzumaki and likewise." He realized that this girl was polite but he certainly didn't expect the same behavior from the girl that the Hokage introduced next.

"And this is Hisa Uchiha." Hiruzen finished. He really hoped that there wouldn't be any problems between the two. If Naruto was evoked by Hisa, he knew that she could end up dead. Even though Naruto was as obedient as they come – executing his orders to the T – he couldn't let the slight possibility of his past taking over. There was only a low possibility but it was possible.

On the other hand though, if this paid off, Naruto might just come out of his shell, even if a little bit. He had everything to gain by being alongside Hisa.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Naruto-_kun_." Hisa glared at him and spat out those words almost like venom.

Naruto simply nodded.

"Now," Sarutobi cleared his throat and got the three's attention towards himself. "The reason why your team is formed now is only for the sake of the Chunin exams. Generally, the squad is supposed to be formed when a student in the village graduates and becomes a Genin. But all three of you are special cases in that. Your timing of graduation wasn't the most suitable and because you are such good ninjas, I am expecting you to learn the importance of teamwork quickly even without much exposure of working together. I believe all the three of you are already at the level of Chunin." He narrowed his eyes before he continued. "But being strong enough to be a Chunin doesn't necessarily mean you will become a Chunin. There are many other criteria that you need to pass to become a Chunin and that will be tested in this exam. I hope you all will do well." He waited for a few seconds as the three Genins took all the things he told them in their minds and nodded. "And the one in-charge of your squad through this Chunin exams will be him."

Just as Hiruzen pointed his hand behind the three, a puff of smoke appeared and as the smoke retreated, a tall man with waist-length, spiky white hair tied back in a pony tail could be seen. Two shoulder length bangs framed both the sides of his face and he had red line that ran down from his eyes as well as a forehead protector. The man wore a green short shirt kimono and matching pants under which he had a mesh armor along with hand guards, a simple black and wooden sandals. He held his hands up towards his head and grinned as the three ninjas of the squad glanced at the man who would be handling their squads.

At first glance, even Naruto identified this man as somewhat weird. He wasn't one to give heed to how people behaved but he could tell a weirdo when he saw one. He wasn't sure if this guy was even suitable to look over them through the Chunin exams. Of course, he didn't retort about it however. He hardly moved from his position.

"I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!" The man announced before he straightened himself and came forward. He eyed the three Genin that he was supposed to be in-charge of and mouthed. "So these three are the ones?"

Sarutobi nodded with a smile. "Yes. I am sure they'll prove to be good in your care." He kept his gaze fixed on Jiraiya and spoke again. "This is Jiraiya, one of the three Legendary Sannin. I am sure all the three of you have heard about the Sannin."

At the revelation that this weird person was one of the Legendary Sannin, Hotaru's eyes widened as she looked at the goofball in shock. She suppressed herself from shouting at the surprise of being under the care of one of the Sannin. Hisa too, looked at the man with respect as well as astonishment. She wasn't any less surprised than Hotaru. Naruto didn't move in any visible way even at the bombshell that had been dropped. Although he did eye the man with much more interest than he initially did.

The three Legendary Sannin of Konoha were known all around the shinobi world for their exploits in the Third Shinobi War. Fighting against the odds, the three Sannin had defended themselves as well as the village and shown their power to the whole world. It was because of those three that even though the Third Shinobi War wasn't won by any particular village, it was said that Konoha was the one which came out victorious. The Sannin became to be known as the ultimate ninjas of their time.

"Old man, you called me here saying that there were three exceptional Genin that were going to take the Chunin exam and I had to look after them in that time." Jiraiya snorted as he uninterestedly looked at the Hokage. "These three don't look like much so they better not prove to be disappointing."

The Sandaime Hokage narrowed his eyes and replied immediately. "I assure you they won't."

"Ahh…" Jiraiya smirked, bending over on the Hokage's desk. "You sure sound confident in them. Is it that your senses of spotting talented ninjas are waning?"

Sarutobi removed three sheets from under his desk and kept them in front of Jiraiya. "Here, have a look for yourself," He smirked as Jiraiya picked up the papers with the pictures of the three Genins present in the room. "What do you think?"

Jiraiya mused, intently gazing at all the three papers. "An Uchiha, an Uzumaki and a Tsuchigumo. At least their clans are pretty well known. I guess I will take the job."

A grin appeared on Sarutobi's face. "I am sure you'll enjoy seeing them in the Chunin exams."

"I certainly do hope so."

Almost an hour later, the four of Jiraiya, Naruto, Hisa and Hotaru stood in a clearing inside Konoha. The Chunin exam was going to be starting in just two days and Jiraiya needed to give some instructions to the three Genin that he would be watching over until the exam came to an end.

"First of all," Jiraiya said loudly. "Let me tell you that I am not your sensei. I am just here to oversee you three till the Chunin exams ends. I will guide you after each stage of the Chunin exam but you shouldn't mistake me for being your sensei." The way he spoke, it was completely different from the goofy way he spoke in the Hokage's office when he first entered. His voice had strength to it. If it was this Jiraiya who was the Sannin, no one would doubt it.

"Master Jiraiya," Hotaru called. "Will you be helping us in our training before the different phases of the exam start?" She was the first of the three to raise a query.

Someone voicing a question made Jiraiya smile. "I will be helping you but I will not specifically train you or tell you what kind of a test the next phase could be. I will only go as far as to guide you and give you instructions for certain things that you might face problems with."

She nodded at the answer she received. Satisfied, she flashed him a smile.

Jiraiya smiled back but a frown soon appeared on his face when he realized that the other female of the squad, Hisa had been continuously glaring at Naruto for the longest time. Even though she might have been paying attention to what he had to say so far, he didn't want her to be acting like that. In complete contrast, he noted that Naruto had barely budged. He found it amazing how someone could be so emotionless. At the same time though, it also raised his concern. There was something wrong with Naruto, in his opinion; something very wrong.

"You two," Jiraiya addressed to Naruto and Hisa and got the girl to look at him while Naruto's attention was already at him. "If you have any differences with one another, deal with it before or after the Chunin exam. While the Chunin exams are going on, you will have to work as a team. There is a reason that the Chunin exams are always conducted in groups of three. Your teamwork is absolutely essential."

"There is nothing like that, Master Jiraiya." Naruto assured him.

That was the first time Naruto spoke in front of Jiraiya and the first time the Sannin had heard him. Jiraiya could discern that Naruto's voice was just as hollow as his expression. There was nothing he could make out of it. Although, when against an enemy, this was perfect. A face that stays still no matter what is happening around and a voice that wouldn't falter at anything – that was the perfect shinobi.

There was no joy yet no sadness in him. Never had Jiraiya come across someone who wouldn't be bothered by their surroundings to this extent. Even the coldest he'd seen had something they cherished. They held something which brought them joy as well as pain. Even though it had only been a few minutes since he'd observed the blond ninja, he could tell that he was different. And it was painful. To see someone ripped off of their emotions.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and calmed himself down after the thoughts that ran around in his mind. He shook his head and decided to concentrate only on giving these Genin instructions for the Chunin exam for now.

"Do any of you have any more questions?" He glanced at the three Genin and asked.

The answer was a shake of the head from the three.

"The first stage of the Chunin exams starts the day after tomorrow." He stated. "You have never worked together so you wouldn't know much about one another. So today, you three will spend the day getting to know one another better. You don't need to reveal your jutsu to one another. For now, just spend some time together."

"We won't be having any joint missions before the exam?" Hisa questioned as she tilted her head in confusion. She had thought they might do a few group activities in order for their teamwork to improve.

"Look," Jiraiya started, raising his index finger. "You don't really have time to do any missions like that. If you know each other, your team work will undoubtedly improve." As he finished that, his eyes glittered and a huge grin spread across his face. "Now, I have some important research to do," His tone had changed to one which didn't show any control and his expression had turned into one that contained lechery. "I'll see you three on the day of the Chunin exams."

With those words, the Sannin instantly vanished in puff of smoke, using his Body Flicker technique. He'd left the three Genins perplexed at what kind of a man he was. Was he the amazing shinobi that the Sannin were supposed to be or was he simply a goofball.

Hotaru blinked at the sudden disappearance of Jiraiya before she got back to her senses. "So what should we do?" she asked the other two members of the squad.

Hisa put a finger on her chin in thought. "Why don't we go around the village?" she suggested as she looked at Hotaru. "That way, we'll get to know each other."

A smile instantly crossed Hotaru's face. "That's a great idea." She then turned her gaze at Naruto who appeared to be looking at them, his eyes as emotionless as always. The eyes gave her the chills and she almost shivered. At first, she didn't know how to approach him but she built up the courage and finally mouthed. "Naruto-kun?" she called to him and to her surprise, he nodded. Yet there was no change in his expression. "Are you okay with that?"

Going around the village wouldn't be too bad an idea. Well, he didn't have anything better he could tell them to do. He slowly nodded to her. "I am fine with that, Tsuchigumo-san."

The concerned girl though found his formal behavior amusing. "You can call me Hotaru." She giggled.

"I am fine with that, Hotaru." He completed his sentence and earned a nod from the blonde girl.

"Well, of course you are." Hisa snorted and rolled her eyes before she and Hotaru began walking, followed by the ever so cautious Naruto.

A couple of hours had passed since the three Genins had decided to go around the village together in order to get to know each other better. So far, they hadn't done anything beneficial. Not that they could do anything beneficial from a simple walk through the streets that they had already walked all the time in their lives.

First they had a few dumplings in a sweet shop and then wandered around the town just talking about themselves. Of course, the only ones who talked were Hisa and Hotaru while Naruto just followed them around. Hotaru tried her best to talk to Naruto but the boy only responded in nods or shake of heads with the occasional one word answers. Hisa though hardly even tried to converse with Naruto. They were told to know each other but the only things that happened between Naruto and her were the Uchiha giving him an occasional glare.

"What is it, Hotaru?" Hisa questioned, turning back to find Hotaru stop her march and look up. She followed her gaze to find a fair-skinned boy with short, spiky, red hair and sea green eyes hanging upside down from the branch of a tree right in front of them. He wore a black full body suit with t-shirt like sleeves but the most unusual thing about him was that he carried a gourd behind his back. That was what struck Hisa as unusual.

Hotaru then shifted her gaze to the two that stood under the tree. One of them was a girl with teal eyes and sandy blonde hair with a Sunagakure headband tied to her neck. The other was a boy with a black, full body suit and a hood with a Sunagakure headband attached to it. He also had several purple marking going around his face.

"They aren't from Konoha," Hotaru muttered as she again glanced at the boy atop the tree. His glare was dark and it gave off a dreaded vibe to her. "What are ninjas from Sunagakure doing here?"

"Genin from other village can also participate in the Chunin exam." Hisa said as she too, got a bad feeling from the three that stood in front of them.

But suddenly, the red-haired boy hanging from the tree extended his hand and sand emerged from the gourd on his back. Promptly, the sand headed down towards Hisa and Hotaru whose eyes widened in surprise. They didn't expect the boy to attack them and could never have imagined that the gourd contained sand. Hisa quickly took her fighting stance and so did Hotaru. But the barrage of sand had almost reached them. They realized that they wouldn't have enough time to counter or protect themselves.

However the sand never reached them. And they didn't know what happened until they turned around to notice Naruto having his hand inside of his weapon pouch. As the two of them looked forward, they saw a couple of kunai lying on the ground and that made the mystery behind what had happened clear to them.

Naruto readied his short sword from his pocket but just as he was about to charge, the words of the Hokage rang in his mind. He hesitated and eventually let go of his knife inside of his pouch. He'd been ordered to not kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. He understood the seriousness of that order. As long as he could protect himself and his team without much difficulty with the simple use of his techniques, he wouldn't bother to kill anyone who wasn't overly dangerous.

He fixed his eyes at the red-haired boy who'd just stood up. The boy glared at Naruto but he didn't respond to it. He simply remained still and didn't move an inch. He wasn't about to start anything that he didn't need to.

"Why did you do that?" Hisa snarled at the boy in rage. She'd already readied her weapons this time. If he was to attack them again, she wouldn't be caught by surprise. As the boy glanced at her, Hisa realized that his eyes looked similar to Naruto's. However, there was a massive difference. This guy's eyes contained a certain drive. The drive to kill.

"You looked at me the wrong way."

**How was the chapter? Tell me about it in the reviews.**

**I know there wasn't any action but this was just the buildup chapter with the introductions of the characters. The real action will start from the next chapter.**

**I was facing a writer's block soon after I had published the first chapter of this story and just got back to writing about a month back. So, the next chapter will be published sooner. Much sooner hopefully.**

**The ages of the three in the squad are : Naruto - 13, Hisa - 12, Hotaru, 13.**

**Hisa is not femSasuke just to clear things up if you thought she was.**


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